This Man
by SepticLovebite
Summary: She didn't know exactly how they became "more".


Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction in a long time, most certainly my first in this fandom. I have caught up with this show in the last week and a half (that's alotta walkers in a short space of time) and now I am obsessed. I love this pairing. I love the mere hints at these two. I hadn't seen the season 2 finale at the time of writing, so Daryl and Carol's little conversation at the end is AU. Here's hoping that time flies for Series 3! Just to point out, I wrote this at sily o'clock this morning, mistakes are my own, though I have gone back and corrected what I could.

Carol knew that they were never going to have an epic love affair. If circumstances wouldn't allow it, then their personalities never would.

She never thought that she would fall for someone like Daryl Dixon. By his own admission, he was an uneducated redneck, a man with a silent, brooding temper and the ability to make Carol question everything she ever knew every single day. She always thought, that if there were a man after Ed, he'd be clean cut and open with her, with a sweet and easy going temperement. Daryl Dixon did not fill this description, particularly to an outsider. But Carol knew, for her, there was nothing he wouldn't do.

She tried explaining their situation to Lori one day, whilst scrubbing clothes at the stream, their latest camp was at the edge of a forest, at least seven miles from a main road, even more from the nearest town, which could barely be called that. Lori had been making gentle enquiries for some days now, noticing that she and Daryl had taken to sharing a tent at night.

"He bein' good to you Carol? I mean, he can be...difficult, not so much anymore, but..." The longer haired woman asked, as she worked the soap through one of Carl's shirts.

"Of course. I mean, he's not all show, like Glenn is with Maggie, they're young, first loves, where everything is a grand gesture of affection. I know, it doesn't look like much Lori, but he does everything, he..." She looked up, across the clearing, where Daryl was skinning rabbits on an old picnic table. As if he could hear their coversation, he looked to her at the same time, a small smile playing at his lips. She smiled back, wider than he and turned to Lori. "It's the little things. I know, that if our paths were to cross back in the old days, we would have nothing to say to each other but here, now...Oh I don't Lori, but it's working. I feel like I want to go on in this world and that's gotta count for something."

Lori smiled and continued her scrubbing.

She didn't know exactly when they became "more". They all slept in one tent that first night out of Hershel's farm. It was a back up tent, left in the boot of Rick's car, just in case. Packed beside it, a few bottles of water and some food, matches and odds and ends they might need. They were desperately unequipped to deal with anything that night, but it had to do. Daryl had taken watch first and Carol slept uneasily. Cold without a blanket, uncomfortable without a pillow and uneasy knowing that Daryl was out there. She heard Rick get up to swap shifts with him and a flashlight shone through the tent as he picked his way through the sleeping bodies for a place to bed down. He spotted her at the back, against the tent wall and turned the torch off as he made his way to her. Without even taking off his boots, he sat beside her, pulling the weapons from around his waist before he lay down. Feeling bold, she brought a hand to his chest, just resting lightly on him, letting him know she was awake. Before she could move it back, he brought his own hand up to cover hers, threading his fingers through hers, squeezing tight. She decided there and then, if the group did split, she was leaving with this man.

From that night, he seemed to orient himself around her. He paired up with her whilst scavenging for new supplies, took her hunting with him even when she made too much noise and slowed him down, made sure they took watch together. She couldn't even go to the bathroom without him wanting to know where she was going. He made it his mission to protect at her all costs. It was nice actually, she spent most of her life following what Ed had told her and she was finding it hard to make her own decisions now, Daryl took that weight from her. But this was different. He didn't ask her do things to benefit him. He did it to keep her safe, to help her learn how to defend herself. Ed only got her to do what worked for him.

They scavenged what they could from the blocked highways, not wanting to risk a town when they were so weak. They located three tents, two medium sized and one small pop up. It afforded them a little more privacy and space for their growing supplies. He took the smaller one for them both, leaving the others to divvy up the other two, without explaining himself. Sleeping bags were thin on the ground but they snagged one between them, plus a couple of picnic blankets.

During the day, he could barely be seen to treat her any different. It was clear Daryl did not know how to display affection, not that it was the time or place for it. The men certainly didn't notice anything different, only Lori quirking an eyebrow every now and then. It was small, but it was there. He hardly spoke to her in front of others, but subtly and swiftly, he touched her constantly. If she walked in front of him, his hand guided her at the small of her back. On his bike, his arm rested on her calf. If he passed her, his fingers lightly brushed over whatever he could reach. She didn't know whether he was doing it to reassure her that he was there or whether he was convincing himself that she was still there.

At night however, it was an altogether different story. When they bedded down for the night (and it was always together), he kept her on the inside, furthest from the tent's entrance, tucking her tight into him, his chin resting on her shoulder. The nights were cooling considerably, they needed to focus on getting ready for winter and she was grateful for his body heat.

"You sure we're better off sticking with these dumbasses?" He whispered in her ear, his voice gruff.

She turned to face him,hand resting on his cheek.

"You know, those 'dumbasses' have saved our asses before." She smiled at him. "The more we have, the better. The safer we are. How we supposed to sleep, eat and breathe with just two of us? I can't even work a gun." She rolled her eyes at her own uselessness.

"You're getting better. Next time we get to hunt a gun shop, I'm getting you one in your size. You're not useless Carol. I ain't telling you again." His voice was low, but fierce.

"I know, I know. You're such a softie." She snickered lightly and turned back to snuggle down.

"Hey!" He wrapped his arms tighter round her. "'Sides, you're good at washing my shirts." He joked, before kissing her ear lightly.

He left out a puff as she elbowed him, none all too softly. "I take it back, you're an ass Daryl Dixon."

He kissed her again and closed his eyes.

Yeah, whatever happened, she was definitely was following this man anywhere. And she'd never look back.


End file.
